Athens, GA- Five student entrepreneurs shared their own words of wisdom on Monday during a student panel discussion at UGA’s Tate Theatre. The panel was put on as a part of UGA’s Thinc. initiative, which aims to engage, inspire and build the confidence that will help take business ideas from concepts to reality.

UGA Junior Rebecca Bowden was one of those five panel members. She created a website that allows college students to share their own handmade products with the public.

Bowden says, “We really just want to help student get some extra cash doing something they love.”

During the panel discussion, students were given the opportunity to ask the entrepreneurs questions and learn from their experiences as businessmen and businesswomen in the real world.

The panel highlighted the importance of networking. During the student entrepreneurial fair, students were allowed to do just that, sharing their products with the UGA community.

So whether you’re a student sharing your products in a hallway or getting advice from other students, Bowden says the time to start is now.

“Ten years down the road you might have to quit your job or invest $100,000 to get it rolling. Right now, you don’t have a job, you have a ton of resources here at UGA that will help you build that business, and there’s nothing holding you back from getting started today,” Bowden says.

If you’d like to learn more about other events happening through the Thinc. initiative, you can visit thinc.uga.edu.

By: Mary Grace Fisher